The worry behind the 'strange' index of U.23 Vietnam

In the current U.23 Vietnam team, the defenders are better at scoring than the midfielders or strikers.

U.23 Vietnam has passed Group B of the 2025 Southeast Asian U.23 tournament with an all-win record, defeating U.23 Laos (3-0) and U.23 Cambodia (2-1). Notably, of the 5 goals scored by coach Kim Sang-sik's students, 3 were scored by defenders.

Center back Nguyen Hieu Minh scored a double, helping U.23 Vietnam win the opening match against U.23 Laos. In the match against U.23 Cambodia, center back Pham Ly Duc's extremely dangerous cross-angle header broke the tie.

Defender Ly Duc (3) scored his first goal for U.23 VN - PHOTO: DONG NGUYEN KHANG

The attacking players only contributed 2 goals, respectively by Khuat Van Khang and Nguyen Dinh Bac. This is an unusual statistic, because the midfielders and strikers in coach Kim Sang-sik's 3-4-3 system have many opportunities to approach the opponent's goal. In fact, fixed attacks such as corner kicks and indirect free kicks have been carefully trained by coach Kim for his students before the tournament. U.23 Vietnam currently owns a defense with the best average height in history (5 players over 1.8 m tall), in which central defenders such as Hieu Minh and Ly Duc are all good at aerial combat. Therefore, the Korean coach has taken advantage of his students' height to build an aerial strategy. The set pieces that turned into goals, which required persistent and thorough training, are proof of U.23 Vietnam's efforts to study opponents and improve themselves.

Is it worth worrying about U.23 Vietnam at this time?

The style that favors strength, combativeness and directness is also characteristic of Korean strategists. When coach Park Hang-seo was in charge of U.23 Vietnam, the fixed situations of passing the ball to the central defender to score were also built into a brand. Hieu Minh and Ly Duc of the present are only following the path of Nguyen Thanh Chung and Doan Van Hau of the past. Mr. Kim has optimally exploited the abilities of the defenders, to hone their powerful "tricks" in case the attack line is locked down.

However, with only 2 goals from "open" situations (coordinated attacks from live balls), it shows that U.23 Vietnam is attacking ineffectively. Despite having many good players such as Nguyen Quoc Viet, Nguyen Van Truong or Dinh Bac, coach Kim Sang-sik has not been able to create an attacking system with a clear identity.

Throughout the two matches, the U.23 Vietnam strikers played incoherently, with few coherent combinations, often falling into the situation of "each doing his own thing". The finishing efficiency of U.23 Vietnam was also not good, with many missed shots even though the goal was wide open. Remember, U.23 Vietnam can waste opportunities and still win against U.23 Laos and U.23 Cambodia, but U.23 Philippines (or maybe U.23 Thailand or U.23 Indonesia if they reach the final) is a different story.

In the semi-finals, where there is no chance to correct mistakes, coach Kim's attack needs to make a strong impression. Coordinating smoothly, linking closely and finishing with more confidence is the way for the U.23 Vietnam strikers to find themselves again.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/noi-lo-dang-sau-chi-so-la-cua-u23-viet-nam-185250723190237882.htm